"He's going to tell the truth if he takes the stand, and he's going to be all right," Aaron Goldstein said.

Regardless, the lawyers spent all Wednesday afternoon preparing for testimony from Blagojevich, reviewing which recorded phone calls would be played for the jury.

Prosecutors repeatedly objected, and Judge James Zagel repeatedly sided with them. He told Blagojevich's team, "You have a superior piece of evidence," noting that Blagojevich himself can testify to the same things the tapes would show.

The judge said he could change his mind. If prosecutors impeach Blagojevich's credibility on the stand, Zagel said, the defense could play some of the recordings to support his testimony.